Propelling and steering mechanism



Oct. 7, 1952 B. l. BILLMAN ETAL PROPELLING AND STEERING MECHANISM 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed Jan. 50, 1948 ATTO RN EYS.

Oct. 7, 1952 B. l. BlLLMAN x-:T Al.

PROPELLING AND STEERING MECHANISM 2 SHEETSj-SHEFTIT 2 Filed Jan. 50, 1948 m TM@ R W5 n ufr 2M MW Y B 48 Z is usually 'necessary `to andremoved from the boat. Although it is within the contemplation of built into and which, is itself...

.together to. for-m a. easily transported .and stored, but which maybe oationsweaccomplish by tionand arrangement of new?describe-anexemplary embodiment...

Patented Oct. 7, 1 952 UNITED stares PATENT PROPELLING 4AND STEERING MECHANISM l Beryl I. Billman; New..Trent.on,;Ind., and- Paul- SlaokQDetroit, Mich.

Application January 30,1948;?Seria11No-. 5,464'

\ rolaiuh. (61.115,45)

Ou-r inventionfrelatesto apropellingn andf steering mechanism primarily for use withv small'boats. When iishingalone ina'b'oat, it is verydiiiicult tohandle a-shing rod and reel and at 'thesame time to handle the boat.r Particularly when a fish is on thev endl of vthe line;A it `is'desirableto be able rto move and manipulate theboatso'as to f avoid; angling-the fishing gear-with the Yboator its propulsion means and to manipulatethe boat so .as to easily-boat thev A have a second -personin the Vboat to manipulate thesame forv-the fisherman.,

There "are "numeroustpower propulsion devices boatztooi'rapidly through thewater for trolling .and 'j' are 'not sufficiently.' vmaneuverable to be of any great benetwhen landing `a'iish.

It is'an object ofour inventionrto provide a boat propelling mechanism actuated by the 4 feet togethervwith steeringicontrols operated bythe seatipostion or .balance of the operator. It is afurthe'r object of our invention to'provide such, a device which may be attached toranyboat same .without injuringv the our invention to providea boat propelling `and steering mechanism. as describedfabove which .is a unitary part'of the boat It' isa .furtherob'ject .of our invention to .provide. a..boat .propelling and steering mechanism which. is4 relatively light( in weight, .maylbeolded compact..unit. so. it may be fish. For this reason, it

Reference fis 'now made-'tofthe yfd'rawings :which formapartthereof'anlzllinwhich: v`

Figure 1* shows-'a planrviewfor iour .propelling and Asteering mechanism mounted'fin aboauf 'Figure "2 shows 1.a side aelevation` o'f 4fourflpropelling and vsteering@mechanism mounted on `Ythe stern ofza boat whereinl -thesternsadL-a por-'tion `ofthebottomisinfcrosssectionnismshoWninFigu-resfl and-2`.-I

Figure 4 shows cross "sec-tionA threugh the pedal housing takenon "sectionlinefi'deldiifof Figurer. f i f i Figure 5 shows sa horizontal-@crossesection: of the pedal housing take'nfon thesecton 'line-FSL!) ofFigure4-A Figure 6 showsI ahorizontal*crcsslsectionoithe universal housing; `takenon the "secton'li-ne "l-"#6 offFigure u 'Figure '7'"shows"auvertical cross seetonrof "the universaly Vhousingl taken lon'the section'line I-L'I oFigure'; 'j

Figure 8- shows a side elevationof the propehing andl steering mechanism'in folded 'position'ror carryingandstorage.

Figure 9 shows Aa rearelevati'on witl'iga |`porti'on in Across section-oi the v-seat of our device-'taken i on the section line 9-9 of Figure 2,'

quickly and easily .attached vtoalooat without. the

`use .of 4toolsor a great. deal .of physical. labor.

Irrthe. example shownin the drawings .and

I described in the specification, Wedescribea propellingmechanism which is :actuated .by .thefeet However, it lwill .be .apparent that `a power unit may Abe.. substituted for the-.iootmechanismand which may 'oe-easily controlledby the feet.

Theseane other lobjectslcf our-inventionvvhicn will .be set Yforth Ahereinafter or,4

will be apparent to-.one"skil1ed inv the rart uponreading thesespecithat` certain construc- .partsroi which weshall "linkage tie y*the seat :inwith the Steering mecha- "5 'nositionedxbetween: then-gears el nism of'thed'evice. By-.itliisfconstruction:V both rthe propellinglof the boat and thesteering isdone 'by either Athe-feet 'onthe 'movement ffof. the body and 'does not `V`necessitate the-use-fofveilthe'r hand ofthe operator;` l

Referring to :the '.dra ings ('see -F-gurexZc f5 we provide a propeller I actuated by a shaft 2ridi'ng housingfll Whichf'isclamped by Ameansfoffclanip 5 to the istern' of fa boat. :Er'onilthef housingfll, We'providerashaft encased@ insafca'sirigliaawhich in. .turn terminates in the@ pdalnhousing H .mounted-cna; shaft' 'which projects through and.: is. fjournaledtin'ithefhousings.; Onrthefends ofatheishaft 12g-we provide pedals. Swandalt. 'f

On the endfofftheshafltf] "iszza evel eearelS Figure 3 shows a' reareievaticnfof them-echathe.- .ipedaL housing '.915are 'twobeveligears '-.I'rland y keyed to shaft 3I`.

' angular position between shaft 1 and shaft 2 may spacing between the journals I6 and I1 in the housing 9 is greater than the distances between the hubs I' and II of the gears I0 and Il. This permits the shaft I2 to be longitudinally moved in the journals I6 and I1. The bevel gear I is of such a size and so located that it will selectively mesh with either gear I0 or I I, depending upon the position of the cam on shaft I2. Journaled in the housing 9,y we provide a shaft I8 which is mounted in a position at right angles to the shaft I 2 (see Figure 4). The shaft I8 has ngers I9 integral therewith which embrace the shaft I2 between the gears I0 and II. One end of the shaft I 8 projects beyond the housing 8 and is keyed to an arm 20 which is positioned outside of the housing 9.

From the above, it is apparent that as the arm is moved to the right or the left, the shaft I2 carrying the gears I 0 and II will be moved longitudinally to the right or the left, thus selec- AtIVelyengaging the gear I5 with either the gear II) or I I. The arm 20 is to be actuated by the footand, as is apparent, will control either the forward or reverse movement of the propeller I, through the shafting and gearing withoutthe need, ofreversing the pedal action.

.The casing 8 runs from the housing 9 up to one half of the housing 4 (see Figure 6). On the end of the shaft 1 and within the housing 4 is keyed a bevel gear 2I which engages one side .f of a double bevel gear 22 riding on the stationary .shaft 23 which is mounted on one half of the housing 4 by a pin 23 and projects through the other half through a bearing. The double bevel gear 22 provides a means of changing the gear ratio to handle different propeller sizes.

The opposite side of the bevel gear 22 meshes with a bevel gear-24 (see Figure '1) which in turn is keyed to a shaft 2. The shaft 2 is journaled in a, bushingA 26 within a casing 21 which in turn is rotatable within a journal 28 integral with the other half of the housing 4. 'Ihe half of housing 4 lwithin which the casing 21 is journaled is the opposite half within which theA casing 8 is journaled. The two halves of the casing 4 are joined by a. circular rotatable lap't or seal 29 so one. half -of the casing 4 may be rotated on the other half.

From the above, it is apparent that the shaft casing 21 andthe shaft casing 8 may be moved in different angular positions by rotating the two halves of the casing 4 on each other.

At the lower end of the shaft 2 is keyed a bevel gear which in turn is meshed with a bevel gear 30 at right angles thereto which is keyed to shaft 3| on which the propeller I is mounted. A housing 32 encloses the gears 25 and 30 and the shaft 3| in which it is journaled is mounted on the shaft casing 21. A rudder 33 may be mounted on the gear casing 32 (see Figure 2). The rudder 33 protects the propeller when it contacts an obstruction such as a rock or a log by forcing the gear casing 32 upwardly around the housing 4.

- As is apparent from the above, the actuation of the pedals I3 and I4 will rotate the propeller I through either gear IIJ or II engaged with gear I5 which rotates shaft 1 which in turn through gearing 2I and 22 rotates gear 24 and shaft 2, which in turn actuates gear 25 and 30, which is It is also apparent that the be changed 'at will by rotating the two halves of the housingV 4 on each other.

The housin'gf21 carrying the'propellerassembly '4 is rotatable in the housing 4 as stated above. thus permitting steering o1' the boat by rotating the housing 21. The housing 4 is mounted on the boat by means of the clamp 5, the upper portion 34 of which carries the housing 4 rotatably mounted thereon (see Figures 6 and 7) We provide a seat 35 which is adjustably mounted on the housing '8 at bearing points 31 and 38, which are preferably spaced above the housing 8 which are aligned parallel to the housing 8. A seat 35 is so mounted that it will rock from side to side on the bearing points 31 and 38 and is held against rocking by means of adjustable springs 39, which bear against the housing 8 and are held in position by thumb screws 39'. The thumb screws 39 are screwed in straps 35, which are welded to the bottom of the seat 35. Collars are afxed to the thumb screw 39' by pinning or otherwise, so that upon rotation of the screw 39 the springs 39 will be compressed or decompressed against the side of the housing 8. (See Figure 10.) In this way by adjusting the springs 39 the rocking motion of the seat 35 may be adjusted. Rigidly attached to the housing 8, we provide a bar 40 carrying a journal 4I through which runs a rod 42. The rod 42 is also journaled in an arm 43 immovably mounted on the end of the shaft 23. The end of the rod 42 is bent upwardly as at 44 (see Figure 2) and is fastened by a universal joint 45 whose pivot point is on the housing swivel shaft center line to a second rod 46 which in turn is fastened by a universal joint 41 to an arm 48 permanently welded to the housing 21 (see Figure 3).

The end of the rod 42 projecting through the journal 4I is bent downwardly as at 49 and connected by a universal joint 50 to a rod 5I which in turn is attached by a universal joint to the side 52 of the seat 35. From the above, it is apparent that when the seat 35 is tilted to the right, the linkage through 5I, 42, and 46 through the arm 48 rotates the housing 21 to the left, thus steering the boat to the right. When the seat 35 is tilted to the left, the housing 21 through the same linkage is rotated to the right and the boat turns to the left.

In order to prevent the propeller from being injured by hitting rocks or the like, we preferably permit both halves of the housing 4 to freely rotate relative to each other, and we provide arms 53 which embrace the housing 21 (see Figures 2 and 3). A sliding bearing 54 surrounds housing 21 and bears against the inside of the arms 53, thus preventing any sideward movement of the housing 21 with its enclosed and appended structure. However, in reversing the boat, it, of course, is necessary that the propeller be prevented from riding away from the boat and up out of the water. For this purpose, we provide a latch 55 mounted on one half of the housing 4 and which engages in a keeper 56 on the other half of the housing 4, thus preventing relative rotative movement between the same. It is to be understood that we may provide a series of keepers 56 so the two halves of the housings 4 may be locked together against rotation in any operative position depending on the pitch of the stern 6 of the boat.

As is apparent from the above, when the mechanism is removed from the boat, the shaft casing 21 carrying the propeller, etc. may be swung around near the seat 35, as shown in Figure 8. It is also apparent that the relative angle between casing 8 and casing 21 may be changed to accommodate boats with sterns 6 having different transom angles. There is a leg 3, an integral part of the housing 9, which supports the same on the bottom 51 of the boat.

From the above, it is apparent that we have provided a propelling and steering mechanism which is adaptable for use in any kind of a boat and wherein the operator may propel and also steer the boat without the use of either hand. but solely by the use of his feet and body, the forward or reverse action being selected by the foot through arm 20.

While we have described our propelling mechanism as being actuated by the feet, it is, of course, apparent that a power device may replace the pedal housing 9 and actuate the shaft 1 with foot controls for the same.

It is also apparent that while we have shown a device which may be readily and easily attached to any boat, it is also within the contemplation of our invention to incorporate our novel mechanism as an integral part of a boat.

While we have shown specific linkage for steering the boat by means of tilting the seat, it is to be understood that other types of linkage or other means may be used for steering the boat by movement of the seat or other parts of the body except the hands. While we have shown and described the controlling mechanism as applied to a boat, it is to be understood that it may be used with any other type of vehicle where it is advantageous to control the action of the vehicle without the use of the hands of the operator.

It is to be understood that modification may be made in our invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and we do not intend to limit ourselves otherwise than as pointed out in the claim which follows. Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A removable boat propelling and steering mechanism comprising a, clamp adapted to be fastened to the stern of a boat, a gear housing supported by said clamp, a shaft in a tubular casing projecting downwardly from said housing, a propeller mounted on the end of said casing and geared to said shaft, a second shaft in a tubular casing projecting from said gear housing to a second gear housing adapted to be supported on the bottom of a boat, foot actuated pedals associated with said second housing and a seat mounted on the casing containing said second shaft at a point between said rst and second housings, said pedals rotating said propeller through said shafts and connecting gears, said rst mentioned gear housing being formed of two halves, with one of the shaft casings being mounted on each half, the halves being rotatable in relation to each other in a vertical plane so as to permit variation of the angle formed by the two shafts, said rst mentioned shaft casing being rotatable on said housing and said seat being mounted on bearings in a line substantially parallel to said second mentioned tubular casing so as to be tiltable, and connecting means between said seat and said rst mentioned shaft casing so that the latter is rotated in response to the tilt of said seat for steering the boat.

BERYL I. BILLMAN. PAUL SLACK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 277,667 Blanchard May 15, 1883 502,866 Schmiedel Aug. 8, 1893 637,051 Wasek Nov. 14, 1899 1,133,788 Bassford Mar. 30, 1915 1,234,929 Nicolaysen July 31, 1917 1,370,959 Greer Mar. 8, 1921 1,825,240 Miller Sept. 29, 1931 1,826,507 Crosby Oct. 6, 1931 1,961,506 Millican June 5, 1934 2,145,586 Coleson Jan. 31, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,881 Great Britain 1888- 11,359 Great Britain 1699 

